Thinking of relocating to Oregon (Portland, Beaverton: insurance, jobs, houses)

[pasux]

My wife and I currently live in the Pittsburgh PA area. Both of us are lifelong residents of this place, and can no longer stand the lagging economy, brutality of the 9 month winters, and being surrounded by poverty and slag dumps. We would both like to move eventually, but we've only looked Southeast so far (GA, SC, FL, etc). No Go.

My wife liked Oregon when she visited about 10 years ago, and has mentioned moving out there. I only have 3 questions for you.

1. Tell me about the weather. How bad is the rain/overcast? Also how bad is the
snow in Portland. How long does winter last?

2. My wife is a cost accountant for an insurance co. Do you think she could find emloyment?

3. This is an odd question, but I have to ask. Are alot of residential driveways
paved with asphalt in the state, or is concrete really big there? Do people sealcoat their asphalt there? I have a pretty successful pavement sealing business here in PA, but the weather here is really starting to kill me. If I had even 20 dry days/month for 8 months out of the year I could make 150k.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. Hope to hear from someone.

[TexasNativeinNW]

Greetings! I've lived in Portland for ten years and I'll do my best to fill you in.

Weather: Well....the reality is that there are a lot of overcast and rainy days every winter. November and December around the holidays, for some reason, is always the worst time. It can stay dark, chilly, and rainy up till late spring, with some warm days scattered in between . Today, for instance (April 2) was cold enough that I my hands froze while walking the dog this morning. It warmed up but remained cloudy, but I still needed a light jacket all day.

Some winters are better than others. I do recall that my first winter here was cold, but dry and sunny a good deal of the time. But the past couple of years, to me, have seemed the worst in terms of inches of rain and dark days. I would say winter is from November through April..but spring can come earlier or much later.

Despite the negatives, I'll share this: I am originally from Texas and was a sun worshipper...but I loved it out here so much, I didn't care about the long winters. In fact, I sometimes liked the rain and often enjoyed curling up in front of a warm fireplace in the winter. The weather brings people together to have hot chocolate and coffee together and there is a coziness about it. It rarely gets bitterly cold, but if you are used to warm weather, you may be more sensitive to it overall and feel a need for a coat much of the year. Depends on if you run hot or cold generally.

Every winter, it seems like we get at least two or three snow days. The city usually shuts down for a day or so and it is a big celebration for most people. But those days are rare.

Late June through early October is the best weather: sunny, dry, and pretty much perfect. Last summer, we had a lot of very hot 90s days...but that is not the norm. 80s are more likely...and a drive to the coast can get you into much cooler temps fast. Pools must be heated all summer because the evenings and mornings are cool.

Employment: I am self-employed and never tried to find work here, so I cannot help you there. But I would say if you want to live here, you'll make it work. Don't listen to people saying there are no jobs here. It simply isn't true. Search the Oregonian newspaper or the Portland Tribune...as well as craigslist.

I live in SE Portland and there are lots of sidewalks, but many of my neighbors don't even have a driveway because their houses are so old. I have always rented here, so I don't notice things like that. Out in the burbs (Beaverton, Hillsboro, etc.), you'll find a lot more concrete. Don't know anything else about your concrete questions, however!

Portland is not perfect, by far, but I think it is one of the best places to live. I think the weather is a blessing in a way because it keeps the area from becoming California!!

Good luck and if I can help further, let me know.

[PNW-type-gal]

Originally Posted by pasux

My wife and I currently live in the Pittsburgh PA area. Both of us are lifelong residents of this place, and can no longer stand the lagging economy, brutality of the 9 month winters, and being surrounded by poverty and slag dumps. We would both like to move eventually, but we've only looked Southeast so far (GA, SC, FL, etc). No Go.

My wife liked Oregon when she visited about 10 years ago, and has mentioned moving out there. I only have 3 questions for you.

1. Tell me about the weather. How bad is the rain/overcast? Also how bad is the
snow in Portland. How long does winter last?

2. My wife is a cost accountant for an insurance co. Do you think she could find emloyment?

3. This is an odd question, but I have to ask. Are alot of residential driveways
paved with asphalt in the state, or is concrete really big there? Do people sealcoat their asphalt there? I have a pretty successful pavement sealing business here in PA, but the weather here is really starting to kill me. If I had even 20 dry days/month for 8 months out of the year I could make 150k.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. Hope to hear from someone.

1. You can look here Portland City Data and get a very good idea of the climate. Pay close attention to the % sun/overcast chart - I'd say it's a little on the generous side. In our worst years (over the last 20), I'm pretty sure we had a year in which we had something like 10 straight weeks of overcast and drizzle. It CAN be bad, especially in November, December and January. Snow is very minor here - this last winter we actually had a couple inches stay on the ground for almost a week, which is a huge surprise. To get snow in Portland, it generally takes a wet storm from the east and south, off the Pacific, and a cold front circling around from the north and east. The two meet, we get snow/ice and it messes up the commute for a day or two. Most of Portland is around 20-500 feet about sea level, but in the hills you can get up to 2,500 feet and you WILL get snow there, several times a year.

2. In general, professional fields like accountants can find work. High-paying work, maybe not at first. Maybe not quickly, either. I think the US in general is heading toward a bit of a slowdown, and in Portland the slow-downs tend to hit a bit later but take much, much longer to climb out of.

3. Most of the subdivisions use concrete for driveways. Bridge decks tend to be be concrete as well, but almost all highways are asphalt. If you need clear days for sealer, you won't find them here. While rain is rare from about late June/early July through September, it's possible to get rain any day of any other month.

There is an equivalent to the poverty type you're talking about here as well - a lot of the counties relied upon timber revenue, and with the mills closing in favor of foreign timber and, to a lesser extent, logging restrictions, the unemployment rate can hit 30-40% in some of those counties. It's not quite so obvious in the bigger cities.

[mdvaden]

Many subdivisions have concrete, but then there are many other properties with long driveways, and many of them are asphalt. So there are a lot of both kinds.

You won't get 20 dry days in winter, but if that's the average you are after, you may get close. Portland is in one of about 6 regions in the world classified as a "Mediterrenean" climate zone. There is hardly any rain during most of July, August, and much of September. Those months will help your averages.